Thank you for booking with us. Please read the section for your appointment before you come in. The advice follows NHS and UK clinical guidance and the instructions of the manufacturers of the products and devices we use.
Never stop or change a medicine prescribed for you unless the doctor who prescribed it has agreed. This includes blood-thinning medicines. If you are not sure about anything below, please call us before your appointment.
Photo ID, such as a passport or photo driving licence. We need to confirm who you are before we can treat you or prescribe.
Any recent letters, test results or hospital reports about the problem you are coming in for.
Your NHS GP’s name and practice details. We will ask whether you agree to us sharing information about your care, including any prescription, with your GP.
Video appointments
If you will be outside the UK at the time of your video appointment, tell us before you book, as different rules apply.
Some problems cannot be assessed safely by video. If so, we will offer you an appointment in clinic.
Health checks (Wellman, Wellwoman and health check-ups)
Please bring
A list of all your medicines, including over-the-counter, herbal and homeopathic ones, with what each is for and how often you take it.
A note of any medical conditions, allergies and questions you want to ask.
Details of your family’s medical history, and how much you smoke and drink. The doctor may ask about these.
On the day
You only need to fast if blood tests are booked and we have asked you to. See blood tests. Do not change your medicines unless your doctor tells you to. If you have diabetes, speak to your doctor before fasting.
Do not have caffeine or smoke for 30 minutes before your appointment, as both can raise your blood pressure for a short time.
Avoid exercise or a large meal shortly before your appointment, and empty your bladder when you arrive.
Wear loose clothing on your upper arm so the blood pressure cuff fits easily.
Wellwoman with a smear test: please also read smear test. You can ask for a chaperone.
Bring a list of your medicines or your prescription, your appointment letter, and your GP’s name and address.
If you take warfarin, bring your record book with recent blood test results. If you have diabetes, bring your blood or urine test and insulin records.
Bring any scan reports or medical records from other clinics, and reading glasses if you need them.
Write down your medical history (operations, illnesses and allergies), how you have been feeling, any new or changed symptoms and how they affect your daily life.
Write down your questions, with the most important first.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing and do not put body lotion or oil on your chest, in case an ECG is done.
You can eat and drink as normal.
Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound)
Eat, drink and take your usual medicines as normal, and bring a list of your medicines.
Wear a top that is easy to take off. You will undress to the waist and be given a gown. Gel and small stickers are placed on your chest.
The scan usually takes 30 to 45 minutes. You can ask for a chaperone, so let us know before the day if you would like one.
Heart rhythm monitor (Holter)
Have a shower or bath before your appointment, as you cannot bath or shower while wearing a 24 or 48 hour monitor.
Do not put body lotion, oil, sun cream or talc on your chest that day. Chest hair may need to be shaved where the stickers go.
Wear a loose top or a shirt with buttons. Tell us before the day if you have sensitive skin or a skin condition.
Eat, drink and take your usual medicines as normal. While wearing the monitor, write down the time and details of any symptoms, and do not use an electric blanket or TENS machine.
If you wear a monitor for longer than 2 days, you will be shown how to unclip it once a day to wash. A patch monitor must stay dry for the first 24 hours, then short showers facing away from the water are fine. Never put a monitor under water.
Return the monitor on the agreed date and time.
24 hour blood pressure monitor
Have a shower or bath before your appointment, as you cannot bath, shower or swim while wearing the monitor.
Wear a loose top with wide or stretchy sleeves so the cuff fits on your upper arm.
Eat, drink and take your medicines as normal, and carry on with your usual activities, day and night.
When the cuff inflates, keep your arm still and relaxed, and sit down if it is safe to. Keep a short diary of your activities and any symptoms.
Return the monitor the next day at the agreed time.
We will check your height and weight ourselves to work out your BMI. A figure given over the phone or in a photo is not enough.
Bring a list of all your medicines, especially diabetes medicines such as insulin or sulfonylureas. Taken together with weight loss injections, these can increase the risk of low blood sugar.
Tell us if you have ever had pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) or diabetic eye disease.
Tell us if you have an operation or sedation planned. These medicines slow how fast your stomach empties, so the team caring for you needs to know.
These medicines must not be used in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Tell us if you are pregnant, trying for a baby or breastfeeding.
If you could become pregnant, you will need reliable contraception during treatment. One of these medicines can make the contraceptive pill work less well, so the doctor will go through which methods are suitable for you.
Your baby’s red book (Personal Child Health Record).
The formula you are using, if your baby has any formula.
Your pump and flanges, if you are pumping, so we can check the fit and how you are using them.
A cloth or muslin.
If possible, please try not to feed your baby just before the appointment, so the doctor can watch a feed while you are with her. If your baby is hungry and unsettled on the way, feed them as you normally would.
Minor skin surgery and biopsy (skin tags, cysts, moles, lesion removal)
Tell us before the day
If you take a blood-thinning medicine (for example aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban or dabigatran), tell us at least 2 weeks before your procedure. Do not stop or change it unless the doctor who prescribed it has agreed.
If you take warfarin, you may be asked for a recent INR blood test result.
Tell us about any herbal remedies you take, as some thin the blood.
Tell us if you have a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator.
Tell us about any allergy, including to local anaesthetic, latex, plasters or antibiotics.
Tell us if you are pregnant.
On the day
Eat, drink and take your usual medicines as normal, unless we tell you otherwise. Bring a list of your medicines.
Wear loose, comfortable clothes.
If the surgery is on your face, arrange for someone to drive you home.
Bring a list of all your medicines, including any you started recently, and the date you started or stopped any hormone treatment such as the contraceptive pill.
Note anything in the months before the hair loss began, such as illness with a high fever, surgery, childbirth, a stressful event, marked weight loss or strict dieting. Shedding can start around 3 months after a trigger.
Find out whether parents or other relatives have had hair loss.
Tell us about other conditions, such as thyroid disease, vitiligo, type 1 diabetes, eczema, hay fever or asthma, and about acne, extra facial hair or irregular periods.
Bring copies of any recent blood test results, for example thyroid or iron tests.
If you can, do not wash your hair for 2 days before, as recently washed hair can affect a simple hair pull test.
Look at your nails and scalp, and mention any pitting, brittle nails, itching, burning or tingling.
An ultrasound (duplex) scan is the usual way to check leg veins, so you may have one at this appointment. No special preparation is needed for the scan.
Wear loose clothing that is easy to remove. You will be asked to take off trousers, skirt and tights, as the scan covers the leg from groin to calf.
Remove necklaces and bracelets before the scan.
If you have dressings or bandages on your legs, tell us before your appointment.
Allow up to an hour for the scan.
If you are pregnant, tell us. Vein treatment is not usually done during pregnancy, but the consultant can give you advice.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Vein treatment is not offered in pregnancy except in exceptional circumstances.
If you take blood thinners, herbal remedies or supplements, or if you have ever had a blood clot. Do not stop any medicine unless your doctor has agreed.
If you take the combined pill or HRT. Fibrovein, the medicine used for foam treatment, is not normally given to people using hormonal contraception or HRT, and you may be asked to stop the combined pill or HRT tablets one month before treatment. If you stop the pill, use another method of contraception.
For glue closure: if you have ever reacted to medical glues (cyanoacrylates).
If you have any flights or long journeys planned. Please do not fly, or make any long journey where you cannot get up and walk about, for 6 weeks after your vein treatment.
Before you come
Do not shave or wax the leg in the week before your procedure.
Do not put moisturiser on your legs on the day.
Eat and drink as normal on the day.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing and flat shoes. You may be measured for a compression stocking to wear afterwards.
You should not drive afterwards, so arrange for someone to take you home.
Tell us in advance if you take blood-thinning medicines, have diabetes, or have ever reacted to a local anaesthetic. Extra checks may be needed. Do not stop any medicine unless your doctor has agreed.
Tell us if you are pregnant, think you might be, or are breastfeeding. Nail surgery with phenol is not done during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and is put off until after.
Anyone who is pregnant should not come into the treatment room with you.
Before you come
Take off all nail varnish and acrylics.
Eat and drink as normal. Do not drink alcohol in the 24 hours before your surgery.
Bring open-toed sandals, roomy shoes or slippers that will fit over a large dressing.
Bring a list of your medicines and any you need during the day, such as inhalers.
You will not be able to drive home after toenail surgery. Arrange for someone to take you, or book a taxi.
Call us before coming in if you have a temperature, cough, vomiting, diarrhoea or an unexplained rash.
Stop waxing, plucking, threading, epilating and hair removal creams for 6 weeks before. Shaving is fine.
Avoid chemical peels and other laser treatments on the area for 2 weeks before.
Keep the area out of direct sun for 4 weeks before. Wear SPF 50 sunscreen and a hat outdoors. Tell us if you are going on holiday abroad in the 4 weeks before or after a session.
Do not use sunbeds, fake tan or self-tanning products for 4 weeks before. If the area is tanned, we may need to move your appointment.
The day before and on the day
Shave the area the day before. For your consultation or test patch, we may ask you to leave a few days of growth so we can see the hair.
Arrive with the area clean and free of make-up, deodorant, moisturiser and any other products.
Tell us
About all your medicines, including antibiotics, St John’s wort and skin creams such as retinoids, as some make the skin more sensitive to light.
If you often get cold sores.
Call us before booking if you are pregnant, or if you are taking isotretinoin (an acne medicine) or have taken it in the last 6 months. Call us before coming in if you have a cold sore, chickenpox or any infection in the area.
Laser skin treatments (pigmentation, thread veins, redness and skin rejuvenation)
Laser treatment is for adults aged 18 and over.
In the weeks before
Stop prescription retinoid creams (for example tretinoin or adapalene) 2 weeks before treatment.
Do not sunbathe, use sunbeds or apply fake tan for 4 weeks before treatment and during your course. We cannot treat tanned skin.
Wear SPF 50 sunscreen every day before and during your course.
Avoid waxing, plucking, chemical peels and other laser treatments on the area for 2 weeks before.
Tell us
About every medicine and supplement you take, including antibiotics, St John’s wort and retinoid creams. Some make the skin more sensitive to laser.
If you get cold sores. An antiviral may be prescribed before treatment on the face.
If you are pregnant.
For brown spots: if a spot has changed in size, shape or colour, or is itchy, sore or bleeding. Every age spot is checked by a dermatologist before laser treatment.
On the day
Come with clean skin and no make-up, cream, perfume or deodorant on the area.
You will have a test patch first. We check it at 48 hours, and also at 2 weeks for darker skin.
Call us before booking if you are taking isotretinoin (an acne medicine) or have taken it in the last 6 months.
Bring a list of all your medicines, supplements, allergies and medical conditions, including long-term ones.
Bring details of any previous injectable treatments: what was used, where and when.
Bring photo ID, such as a passport or photo driving licence. Aesthetic treatments are for adults aged 21 and over, and we check age when you book and again on the day.
Tell us before you book if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Injectable treatments are not given at these times.
Anti-wrinkle treatment is a prescription-only medicine. You must see the prescriber face to face before any treatment. It cannot be arranged by phone, video or online.
The clinician who will treat you will talk you through the treatment and take your consent themselves.
You will be given time to think after your consultation. You never have to decide on the day.
You need a face-to-face consultation with a prescriber before your first treatment.
Bring photo ID. Treatment is only for adults aged 21 and over.
Tell us if you take blood thinners or have a bleeding disorder. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without your prescriber’s advice.
Please do not book if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Call us before coming in if you have a spot, rash, cold sore or any infection or inflammation where you are being treated, if you are taking antibiotics, or if you have a muscle or nerve condition such as myasthenia gravis.
Treatment for excessive sweating is for adults aged 21 and over.
Do not shave your underarms, or use deodorant or antiperspirant, for 3 days before your appointment.
If you use an aluminium chloride sweat product, stop it 1 week before.
Tell us about every medicine you take, especially antibiotics, muscle relaxants, aspirin-like medicines and blood thinners. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without the prescriber’s agreement.
Tell us if you have had anti-wrinkle injections or injections for sweating in the last 16 weeks.
Tell us if you are pregnant, trying for a baby or breastfeeding. The treatment is not recommended at these times.
Tell us about any muscle or nerve condition, such as myasthenia gravis, any earlier problems with this treatment, and any previous underarm surgery.
Bring details of other health conditions, for example thyroid problems. The doctor will check for other causes of sweating first.
Call us to rebook if you have an infection, rash or broken skin where you will be treated.
For 7 days before, avoid aspirin, anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen, and vitamin E, unless they are prescribed for you. Tell us if you take garlic or ginkgo supplements.
Do not stop a prescribed medicine, including a blood thinner, without your doctor’s advice.
If you have had dental work in the last 15 days, please move your appointment. Plan any dental work for at least 15 days after treatment.
The day before and on the day
Avoid alcohol and strong sunlight.
Arrive with your make-up removed, or be ready to remove it fully.
Tell us
If you have recently had a vaccination or been unwell. We may advise waiting.
If you have recently had a peel, laser or ultrasound treatment, or any filler in the same area. Bring the product name and date if you can.
If you get cold sores and are having lip treatment.
Filler dissolving: about any allergies, and if you are pregnant. It is not given during pregnancy.
Call us before coming in if you have a cold sore, spots, a rash or an infection at or near the area.
Tell us if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as safety has not been established.
Tell us about any medicines that thin the blood or affect clotting. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without the prescriber’s agreement.
Tell us if you have an autoimmune condition, take medicines that lower immunity, get cold sores, or tend to form raised or keloid scars.
Tell us about any recent or planned dental treatment or vaccinations, and any recent illness.
Avoid laser treatment or chemical peels on the area until your skin has fully healed.
Plan for aftercare: you will be asked to massage the area gently over the following days, and to avoid strong sun, sunbeds and extreme temperatures until any swelling settles.
Call us to rebook if you have spots, a rash, hives, a cold sore or any infection near the area, or if you feel unwell.
Bring a list of your medicines, supplements and previous treatments, and photo ID.
Tell us if you take blood-thinning medicine, or have a bleeding disorder or an autoimmune condition. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without your doctor’s advice.
Avoid alcohol for 24 hours before your treatment.
Arrive with clean skin and no make-up.
Please do not book if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have an allergy to hyaluronic acid (Profhilo) or to fish (polynucleotides are made from purified fish DNA). Call us to rebook if you have an infection at the area.
Profhilo
Do not have laser resurfacing or a medium or deep chemical peel at the same time. Tell us about any you have booked.
Redness, warmth, swelling or itching can last up to 10 days, and you will need to avoid the sun for 3 to 5 days afterwards, so plan around events and holidays.
If you have taken isotretinoin (an acne medicine), please wait 6 months after your last dose before treatment.
Stop retinoid creams and serums (such as retinol and tretinoin) at least 24 hours before.
Avoid sunburn and tanning for 2 weeks before.
Treatment is not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Tell us before booking if you have a bleeding disorder, take blood thinners (including aspirin or warfarin), have keloid scarring, diabetes or an autoimmune condition, take steroids or treatment that lowers your immunity, or are allergic to stainless steel or local anaesthetic. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without speaking to the doctor who prescribed it.
Allow up to 30 extra minutes for numbing cream.
Call us before coming in if you have a cold sore, spots that are breaking out, a rash, an open wound or an infection in the area, or if you feel unwell.
Arrive with clean skin, free from make-up, sunscreen, oils and heavy creams.
On the day, do not apply products containing glycolic or salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, kojic acid, retinol, hydroquinone, or zinc oxide or titanium dioxide sunscreen.
Tell us about all your medicines, as some make the skin sensitive to light. Please mention any steroids.
Treatment is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
You will be given eye protection to wear during treatment.
Call us before booking if you have epilepsy or seizures triggered by light, porphyria, lupus, a light-sensitive skin condition or an active cancer. Speak to us first if you have an eye condition (such as glaucoma, cataracts or recent laser eye surgery), headaches or migraines triggered by light, recent fillers or other injections, or sunburn on the area.
If you need to change your appointment, please let us know as early as you can. Your £50 reservation fee is refunded in full if you cancel 24 hours or more before your appointment. If you cancel within 24 hours or do not attend, it is not refunded.
This page gives general advice to help you prepare. It does not replace the advice your clinician gives you. It is based on guidance from the NHS, NICE, the UK Health Security Agency, the MHRA, the General Medical Council, NHS hospital patient leaflets and the manufacturers of the products and devices we use. Last reviewed October 2026.
